breathe

Verb

Verb Forms: breathed, breathing, breathes

• To take air into the lungs and then expel it.
• draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
  • "I can breathe better when the air is clean"
• be alive
  • "Every creature that breathes"
• impart as if by breathing
  • "He breathed new life into the old house"
• allow the passage of air through
  • "Our new synthetic fabric breathes and is perfect for summer wear"
• utter or tell
  • "not breathe a word"
• manifest or evince
  • "She breathes the Christian spirit"
• take a short break from one's activities in order to relax
• reach full flavor by absorbing air and being let to stand after having been uncorked
  • "This rare Bordeaux must be allowed to breathe for at least 2 hours"
• expel (gases or odors)
• To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
• To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way.
• To inhale (a gas) to sustain life.
• To live.
• To draw something into the lungs.
• To expel air from the lungs, exhale.
• To exhale or expel (something) in the manner of breath.
• To give an impression of, to exude.
• To whisper quietly.
• To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to emanate; to blow gently.
• To inspire (scripture).
• To exchange gases with the environment.
• To rest; to stop and catch one's breath.
• To stop, to give (a horse) an opportunity to catch its breath.
• To exercise; to tire by brisk exercise.
• To passionately devote much of one's life to (an activity, etc.).

Examples

• At higher altitudes you need to breathe your horse more often.
• Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater.
• Garments made of certain new materials breathe well and keep the skin relatively dry during exercise.
• He breathed the words into her ear, but she understood them all.
• I will not allow it, as long as I still breathe.
• If you breathe on a mirror, it will fog up.
• The decor positively breathes classical elegance.
• The flowers breathed a heady perfume.
• The wind breathes through the trees.
• Try not to breathe too much smoke.
• While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane.
• You have to breathe and focus to find the bingo on your rack.
• ―Do you like hiking? ―Are you kidding? I breathe hiking.

Synonyms

catch one's breath, emit, pass off, respire, rest, suspire, take a breath, take a breather, breathe, draw breath, inbreathe, live and breathe, spire

Antonyms

asphyxiate, choke, hold one's breath, suffocate

Related Words

and sleep, as I live and breathe, bad breath, breath, breathability, breathable, breathe a sigh of relief, breathe a word, breathe down someone's neck, breathe easy, catch one's breath, don't hold your breath, draw one's last breath, eat, exhalation, in the same breath, inhalation, out of breath, pause for breath, respiration, save one's breath, shortness of breath, stop for breath, take one's breath away, under one's breath, waste breath, with bated breath